


You Spin My Time

by espiritus



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Attempt at humour, Companionable Snark, F/F, F/M, M/M, Other, Secret Crush, Totally not feeling guilty about that other horrible story I'm writing, lots of salty language, swear to drunk I'm not god, uncharacteristically light and fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-09-16
Packaged: 2018-12-17 10:05:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11849319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/espiritus/pseuds/espiritus
Summary: Von and her companions get very, very drunk and play Spin the Bottle... with some interesting results.Since this story is canon with the events of the parent work, this takes place just slightly pre-romance (though you can definitely tell that Mac has a massive crush on his boss).





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Baby, It's Just You](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7599295) by [espiritus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/espiritus/pseuds/espiritus). 



Night descended on the Commonwealth, and this particular one found Von and Cait sitting on the front steps of their little house. They'd just returned from repelling a Raider attack at Nordhagen Beach; the journey had been long and, though the fight had ended rather quickly, the girls needed to blow off steam.

"I s'pose we could go hunt some 'Lurks," Cait offered, pouring each of them a glass of Nuka Cola from her pack. "Might get dinner out of 'em. Or maybe we can get yer new merc'nary friend te dance fer us. If he says no, just unload a few shells close to 'is foot n'e'll be dancin' in no time."

Von stifled a laugh, nearly choking on her drink as she tried to imagine MacCready dancing. "I doubt he'd take the bait," she replied, tucking a stray hair behind her ear as she took another sip. "But you've given me a great idea. Why don't we get Sturges to fix up that old jukebox next door? We can play some music and have a little dance party right here. Lord knows I've scavenged enough booze to keep this settlement drunk for at least another century."

Cait nodded her agreement. "It's party time, eh," she enthused, before downing her entire drink in one gulp. "Go find Sturges te fix up yer music machine, n' I'll round up the others. No chems though; this party's clean."

-

Some hours later, the party was in full swing. Sturges had managed to fix the jukebox, which was now blasting Diamond City Radio's greatest hits in the corner, and alternated between playing DJ and helping Codsworth serve drinks from a makeshift bar behind the counter. As far as anyone could tell, the robot butler was having a blast watching his typically-straitlaced master let loose; having silly fun for no reason was so unlike Von, but it was the first time that he'd seen her smile since returning to Sanctuary from Vault 111, and so he'd let it slide.

By this point, Von had lost track of how many drinks she'd had, but she had no intention of slowing down. She was seated on the red plush couch, sandwiched between Cait and MacCready; Deacon was sprawled across their laps and waving his arms in time with the song that was currently playing, probably so drunk that he had no idea which way was up. Across the room, Piper and Curie were giggling and pointing at Danse, who was out of his power armour and drunkenly attempting to talk tactics with Preston as Hancock and Nick watched from the two bar stools nearest the door. 

"Wasn' I right, Von?" Cait chirped brightly. "Only thing better n' this is pickin' a fight. Am I right?"

She tried to stand up, but knocked Deacon onto the floor before tripping over him and spilling her drink- some murky brown concoction that looked like radioactive sludge straight out of Lake Quannapowitt, only bottled- all over the place. But Von just smiled in response as she helped her best friend to her feet, again displacing poor Deacon, who was now rolling on the floor and pretending to be a dog. 

"Pre-war, I'd have had to clean that up, you know."

"Good thing it's not them olden days then."

Von laughed, and they clinked glasses as the party went on. Cait moved across the room to dance with Hancock but, a few moments later, looked as though she'd had some kind of revelation. "C'mon, boss," she called to Von as she swayed to the beat of the music. "We should play a game after this. What kinda party doesn' have games?"

The song that was playing had just ended, and the whole room heard her suggestion. "We could play Cleansing the Commonwealth," Danse interjected, draining the rest of whatever he was drinking. "Half of us put on power armour, and the other half try to run away from-"

"That's not a game, Tin Can," Cait retorted, pulling a face. "But I gotta better idea, n' I think I know just the one we oughta try."


	2. Chapter 2

Cait looked around the room at the others, a knowing expression on her face, She'd thought long and hard about the suggestion she was about to make and so, when the group looked to her for an explanation, she grinned wickedly and kicked the bottle she'd dropped on the floor.

"S'called Spin the Bottle," she slurred, grabbing MacCready's drink and taking a sip before she passed it back to him. "Used to play it with the other fighters at the Combat Zone. All we gotta do is spin this thing"- she tapped the bottle again with her foot- "n' kiss the person it points to. Sound like fun yet?"

"I remember that one," Nick added, and Von nodded her agreement as well. "It was pretty popular with college kids pre-war. May or may not have indulged in it myself, with some... uh, questionable results. But, if everyone else is on board, then so am I."

"I'm not," Danse proclaimed. "The Brotherhood condemns this sort of juvenile delinquence. It's undignified, not to mention disgusting, and I'm not kissing any of you tonight. Especially not you, Valentine. Your kind is-"

"Ha!" Deacon cackled, finally rolling over and climbing into Cait's former spot on the couch. "Betcha Tin Can's never even kissed a real person before, and there ain't no time like the present to give it a shot!"

He leaned across both Von and MacCready to make kissy faces at Danse, who turned seven shades of scarlet. "Fine," the Paladin huffed. "But only to prove that I'm better than you at taking on any challenge that comes my way. If Elder Maxson could see me now, he'd-"

"Fuck Elder Maxson," MacCready interjected, forgetting to censor himself in his drunken state, before switching to a much higher-pitched voice. "Ooh, look at me! I'm with the Brotherhood of Squeals! Above the Commonwealth, there is a cancer- me, and my balloon full of assholes!"

"Why, you little..."

Danse tried to grab him, but Mac was too quick and jumped over the couch to hide behind Von, who got up from her seat and put space between them. "That's quite enough, you two," she insisted, somehow still the voice of reason in their inebriated mayhem. "Now, if you're all done fighting, the rest of us are ready to play the game. So let's get started. Danse, why don't you go first?"

On her cue, the gang- except for Sturges, who had opted out, and Codsworth- formed a circle on the floor. Cait explained the rules a final time before handing the bottle to Danse, who still looked confused.

"So I just spin it? Which end am I supposed to-"

Ever helpful, Cait took Danse's hand and put it on top of the bottle, then showed him how to make it spin in a circular motion. "That's all ye do," she added. "Just wait fer it te stop spinnin'. N' once it stops, kiss the person who's at the pointy end o' the bottle."

"Very well," Danse replied, looking toward the nearest exit as if he knew this was a terrible idea and was planning an escape route. "In that case, let's get it over with."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The game begins, and shit gets real.

After a moment's hesitation, Danse gave the bottle's neck a shove, and the group stared at him expectantly as they waited for it to stop spinning. It twirled for a minute or two, then pointed at Curie, whose cheeks burned red as everyone's gaze shifted from Danse to her.

"Me?" she asked, sounding just as confused as Danse had a moment ago. "If my calculations are correct, Monsieur Danse, we are supposed to... kiss now. Forgive me, if I am not very good at it, but I have never- what do you say, _kissed_ anyone before."

"Pucker up, Tin Can," Hancock teased, taking obvious delight in Danse's pained expression. "Go for it. Kiss the girl."

"It's not a girl, it's a synth. And synths are-"

"That's not how it works, Danse," Von cut in. "Now, let's get on with it, shall we?"

Danse shook his head, but leaned over and gave Curie a quick peck on the lips. She responded in kind, of course, amid _oohs_ and _aahs_ from the others, who marveled at how cute it was.

"Thank you, Monsieur Danse," she said, her face turning red again as she resumed her spot in the circle. "That was... dare I say it, very nice. But this feeling in my stomach is... strange."

This elicited smiles from everyone else in the group- including Danse, who blushed furiously- and Piper threw a reassuring arm around Curie's shoulders. "We call those butterflies, sweetie," she said, giving her arm a gentle squeeze. "Some fancy old pre-war term for, uh... Never mind. You're next."

Curie nodded, and she took her turn at spinning the bottle. This time, it pointed at Deacon, who smiled as he motioned her forward; having gained some confidence the second time around, Curie leaned across the circle and gave him a kiss, nearly falling into Piper's lap as she moved back to her spot. "Very peculiar," she mused, her eyes darting back and forth between Deacon and Danse. "That was rather pleasant, Monsieur Deacon. But I do not feel... How is it you say, butterflies, this time? Maybe Monsieur Danse is sick, and he has given me something as well..."

"Ha!" Hancock chortled. "Friendzoned!"

"Of course," Deacon replied, blowing him a kiss. "I only have eyes for you, Fuckface. Now, let's see where this baby lands."

He laughed and took a sip of his drink as he gave the bottle a push. After a minute or so, it finally stopped on its target- Von, who was seated to his immediate right.

"Looks like it's you and me, Boss," he continued. "You ready?"

"Whenever you are," she agreed, and leaned in for the kiss.

This one seemed to go on quite a bit longer than any of the previous turns, and it was Von who finally broke contact as she turned the colour of a tato plant. "Well, then," she said, her skin slowly returning to its usual tone as she took the bottle in her hand. "I must say, Deacon, there's something to be said for your... enthusiasm. Guess that means I'm next."

"Wait a sec," Hancock interrupted. "Maybe it's just me, but that lip business with the boss seemed kinda... real."

"That's the point of the game, no? You're just jealous 'cause no one's kissed you yet."

"Touché."

At that moment, Codsworth skittered in, interrupting the game before Von could take her turn. "Mum," he said, sounding apologetic. "Sorry to bother you, but one of the settlers just told me that he saw something skulking about in the bushes over by the river. It's probably nothing, but I thought you should be the one to check it out."

"Thanks, Codsworth," Von replied, dusting off her vault suit as she stood up. "You're a real peach. I'll be back in a few shakes, you guys."

"Suits me," MacCready replied, as the group watched her leave. "I could really use a cigarette anyway."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MacCready was not MacReady.

No smoking indoors had long been one of Von's strangest ground rules. There was literally no divide between the inside and outside air, so Mac didn't get why she insisted on such a thing; but he respected it anyway, because he respected her. It was her settlement, after all, and there was nothing to prevent her from throwing him out, so it was better to stay on her good side.

He headed out into the cold night, fumbling with an old flip lighter as he leaned against the wall and took a long, slow drag of his cigarette. Until now, the game had been just that- a game. But, when he'd watched Deacon kiss Von, he'd felt a pang of intense jealousy deep in his chest that nearly turned his stomach inside-out. It made zero sense, since he and Von didn't have that kind of relationship- hell, she'd made it clear that she merely tolerated his presence, and they hadn't even _liked_ each other until recently. So why he suddenly found himself wishing that he could have been Deacon five minutes ago was anyone's guess.

"Hey there, pal. Spare a light for an old man?"

The voice belonged to Nick, who was now seated on the overturned trash can beside him. Mac passed him the lighter, and the pair remained silent as a cloud of smoke engulfed them, hovering white against the night sky. A few minutes went by without a word from either of them, though it was Nick who spoke first.

"You look like you're carrying the world on your shoulders, kid. Everything all right?"

Mac didn't respond at first, not wanting to get into the intimate details of his innermost thoughts with someone he didn't know well. But there was no hiding anything from Nick- he was a detective, and recon was his life's work; even if they never discussed it, he'd be onto things before too long.

"She's quite a gal, ain't she?"

Mac blinked, a bit surprised that Nick seemed to have read his mind. "Who- I mean, what are you talking about?"

"General Von. Under the circumstances, she's holding up real well. Her husband's gone, her kid's missing... she's been to hell and back, and yet she just keeps right on going."

"I see what you mean," Mac agreed, relieved that Nick hadn't been thinking the same thing. "She's definitely something- says she's never even handled a gun before, and she's almost as good a shot as me. When we first met, she killed this super mutant- suicider, great big nuke under its arm. And she just climbs up this tree, puts a bullet right in the nuke, and blows up the entire camp. It was awesome, and-"

"And that's why you like her."

_Crap._

In response, Mac nodded as he pulled his duster tighter around him and folded his free arm across his chest- anything, to feel less exposed. "You could say that," he replied, still not making eye contact with the synth. "I mean, we've been travelling together for a while now, and... Well, we got off to a rough start but, after everything that's happened, it seems like she actually cares about what happens to me. Do you have any idea how long it's been since I had that?"

His breath hitched in his throat, and Nick allowed him a moment to collect his thoughts. "Honestly," he continued, taking another drag of his cigarette. "I didn't even know I cared about her that way. Then, when Deacon kissed her, it was like a knife in my gut. I wish I could find the right words to tell her how I feel, but I'm as charismatic as a rabid yao guai. And, even if I could make magic out of words, I don't deserve her- not after the things I've done."

He let out a shaky breath and dropped his eyes to the ground, at which Nick shook his head and smiled. "Ah, young love," he sighed, tossing the cigarette butt onto the ground and crushing the ember beneath his shoe. "Everyone's _done_ something, kid. We all have moments we aren't proud of, but I say you should give it a try and be honest with her about how you feel; either she'll accept it, or she won't. At least you'll be able to say you tried."

Mac nodded and stamped out the remains of his cigarette as he surveyed the settlement. The moon was high in the sky, and Von's barely-visible silhouette could be seen heading in their direction, with Codsworth at her side; as her blue vault suit shifted into view, his chest tightened and he once again felt his breath lodge in his throat. Nick must have heard it as well, because he immediately responded by clasping his shoulder tightly as he steered the younger man towards the door.

"Chin up, Bucko," he added reassuringly. "There's a time and place for brooding like a lovesick teenager. For now, we've got a party to liven up."


	5. Chapter 5

As Von made her way back to the party, she couldn't help but feel relieved that she could handle her alcohol. Sure, the _thing_ her settlers had seen skulking in the bushes had only been Dogmeat chasing a leaf; but, even if it had been a mole rat or something, she'd have still been able to hit her target without batting an eyelash.

When she arrived at the house, she rejoined the circle and accepted the drink that Cait handed to her as she spun the bottle... which, coincidentally, pointed at her best friend as well. The girls stared at each other for a moment, then clinked their glasses and sipped their drinks before giving each other a chaste peck.

"That was hot," Hancock remarked, elbowing Deacon in the side as he gestured to the girls.

"That was awkward," Deacon said, at the exact same time. "Had it been anyone else, it might have been hot. But everyone knows that Von and Cait are practically sisters."

"No blood relation."

"Still weird."

Von and Cait laughed and rolled their eyes in unison, toasting each other once more before Cait finally took her turn. She tapped the bottle with her foot and, when it stopped spinning, it pointed at Hancock, who smirked and went in for the kiss almost immediately. It was a minute or so before Cait finally pulled away, laughing as she gave him a playful shove. "'Ey," she yelped, giggling like a schoolgirl. "That's way too much tongue, even by me own standards. But, if I ever decide te go ghoul, ye'll be the first te know."

Hancock winked at her, then spun the bottle. This time, Piper was on the receiving end of the kiss, and it was obvious that she wanted no part of it. "Yuck," she declared, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she resumed her spot in the circle. "I'm with Cait. Waaaay too much tongue. At least I know now that you've always repulsed me."

"As eloquent as ever, Miss Wright."

Piper's turn was next, and she tapped the bottle so hard that it took a good three minutes before it finally stopped spinning halfway between MacCready and Nick. "Great," she drawled sarcastically. "What happens now? Do I kiss both of you? Is that weird?"

The look on her face was so incredulous that Nick chuckled at the sight of it. "Up to you," he said, gulping back a sip of beer. "You can if you want to, though official Spin The Bottle rules state that you can spin again if you'd prefer."

Naturally, she jumped at the chance to avoid kissing either of them and spun the bottle a second time. This time, it pointed at MacCready, who made a face and gestured in Hancock's direction. Hancock responded by producing a box of grape Mentats and handed them to Mac, who offered the box to Piper.

"Want one? I know this party's supposed to be clean, but there are some memories that all the alcohol in the world can't erase."

Piper glowered at him and made a face of her own. "No thanks," she answered. "But I might take you up on that later, since I'll need to get the taste of lung cancer out of my mouth."

She downed an impressive gulp of Bobrov's Best Moonshine, then closed her eyes and went for it. She wasn't, Mac observed, a bad kisser- just inexperienced; but it had been so long since he'd kissed anyone that he didn't really care. He wasn't the type of guy to turn down free stuff, even if it wasn't exactly what he wanted.

"Not bad," he teased, once the kiss had ended and they'd both resumed their places in the circle. "You ready for that one-on-one interview now, Piper?"

"Oh, MacCready... Never in a million years."


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just like a Journey song, the game goes on and on and on and ooooonnnnn!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in updating~ I have umpteen works on the go and am trying to get them all updated before my upcoming surgery (yay... not!). Thanks for understanding, and I hope you enjoy this weird little piece of my brain.
> 
> I dedicate the first part of this chapter to Madifishy, because it's her (his?) fault that I'm obsessed with Mac/Deacon ships. Everyone should write them. Kthanksbye. <3

After another short break, the group reconvened on the floor in Von and Cait's house. A few people had changed seats upon returning but, as they got progressively drunker, inhibitions disappeared and everyone seemed excited to continue the game.

"C'mon, 'Creads," Cait slurred, her mouth still wrapped around the bottle she was drinking from. "Yer up."

She handed the bottle to Mac, who had just chain-smoked four cigarettes in a row and was clearly feeling the effects of the alcohol as a result. He ended up half-spinning, half-throwing the bottle, which hit Danse in the leg and bounced off someone's foot before landing in Deacon's lap. 

"Hoo-boy," Piper laughed, throwing her head back so hard that her hat fell off. "This is too weird, even for me."

"I dunno 'bout that," Cait added. "I think it's kinda hot. C'mon 'andsome, pucker up!"

Deacon blew a kiss across the circle, and Mac felt his face turn bright red as everyone stared at him. Better to get it over with and let them make fun of someone else.

"It's all good," the Railroad agent laughed reassuringly. "As long as we both say _no homo_ , it's cool."

Mac hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "All right then. No homo."

Before he had time to react, Deacon grabbed both of his arms and pulled him into his lap before biting down on his bottom lip. Von hadn't been wrong about his _enthusiasm_ and, strangely, Mac almost preferred it to the last round. Where Piper's kiss had been soft and tentative, Deacon's was aggressive, like a shock baton straight to the nuts. Not a great analogy, but the best his drink-addled mind could come up with.

"Damn," Cait remarked, with a flourish of her drink. "That was even better than I expected. No more pre-war mags fer me, eh."

Time seemed to move rather quickly after that. Deacon took his turn and ended up kissing Hancock, who was more than happy to ham it up for the girls; the two of them gave an award-worthy performance, then cuffed each other on the shoulder, amid applause from the others.

Next, Hancock kissed Curie- fortunately for her, he'd taken the feedback he'd received from Piper and Cait to heart and was careful not to go overboard. Curie then kissed Nick, who kissed Cait, who kissed Preston, who kissed Piper, who kissed Danse... And, when the paladin took his second turn, he ended up kissing Von, who was understandably relieved when he didn't try to shove his tongue down her throat.

"Looks like Curie was right," she chirped brightly. "Our friend Tin Can here isn't half bad at this. In fact, I'd venture to say that he's enthusiastic without going overboard... unlike _some_ people I know."

She elbowed Deacon in the ribs, and was rewarded with a wink. "Can you blame me?" he laughed, feigning offense at her remark. "A guy doesn't say no to kissing a superhot chick... You'd have to be crazy not to want in on that action!"

"Looks like yer up next," Cait chimed in. "So spin that bottle, Von, 'n' let's see where it lands."


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> playlist:
> 
> evanescence, _anywhere_  
>  kandia, _in your hands_  
>  nightwish, _slow, love, slow_  
>  ozzy osborne, _i just want you_  
>  papa roach, _sometimes_  
>  pink, _sober_  
>  stream of passion, _burn my pain_  
>  three days grace, _one x_  
>  within temptation, _all i need_

When it came to booze, Von had never been a lightweight- thanks to her German ancestry, she'd been born with blood in her alcohol (or was it the other way around?) and spent the better part of her college years drinking Nate and their friends under the table... a trait that, fortuitously, she hadn't lost in this strange new world.

Over the course of the night, Cait had kept pace with her, drink for drink, but the others were pretty wasted. Preston and Nick had switched from whiskey to Nuka-Cola, and Curie, who'd never drank before, was now huddled between Piper and Danse, her face as green as a super mutant and looking like she was about to throw up.

_Can it wait? Just in case I have to kiss you, I mean._

She picked up the bottle and spun it, the group watching as it twirled in mesmerizing spirals. When it finally stopped, her eyes drifted across the circle, and she nearly choked on her drink when she realized who was on the other end.

"Boss?"

"MacCready."

_Of everybody in this room..._

Deacon gave an enthusiastic whoop and raised both arms over his head. "Well, damn," he exclaimed, clinking glasses with Hancock and Nick. "As the only person in this room who's kissed both these fuckers tonight, they're in for a good time."

Von cocked an eyebrow, in a way that made it impossible to tell if she was joking or dead serious. And, to Mac, it was sexy as hell.

"Watch your mouth, or the only good time you'll have is with your right hand after all this is over."

"Ooooooh!" Hancock shouted, amid applause from the others. "Shots fired!"

"I'll give you shots," Von sniped back, tilting her head to one side as she turned to face Mac, her lips twisted in this ridiculously michievous way that drove him crazy. Did the woman truly not understand just how hot she was? Or had she already figured out how he felt about her and decided to mess with his head for a cheap thrill?

"So," she ventured finally. "Ready to get this over with?"

Mac nodded, grateful that the dim light masked the sudden rush of blood to his face. "Okay," he agreed nervously, trying to keep his voice steady as Nick gave him a thumbs-up from across the room. "Whenever you are."

_Let's see you get out of this one._

They stared at each other for a moment before Von went for a chaste peck on the cheek, as she had with Cait. But, as her head darted to the right, Mac shifted to the left and caught her bottom lip between his teeth. She gasped in surprise, but didn't pull away, and braced herself against his chest with one hand, sending shockwaves through his skin. His pulse quickened, and he drew a breath so sharp and loud that he was convinced everyone else in the room heard it, though they didn't say anything if they had.

_What do I do with my hands? Do I touch her? Do I not touch her? Will it make things weird between us if I do?_

Her lips were warm, softer than his own, and she tasted like wine and salt and rain; her movements seemed slow and deliberate, a perfect balance between Piper's uncertainty and Deacon's overt aggression. Less shock baton to the nuts and more radiation storm: dangerous if you were caught in it, but beautiful to those who observed from a safe distance. But was there such a thing, when it came to love?

_F- er, forget it. Weird it is._

Instinctively, he reached up and touched Von's cheek, then her hair, marvelling at the smoothness of both against his palm. She froze momentarily, but again didn't pull back or break the kiss, and he swallowed the garbled half-sigh that escaped from the back of her throat- a noise that made his every hair stand on end. If he didn't know better, he'd think she was enjoying it just as much as he was... or perhaps more.

He tried to recall kissing Lucy- the last person he'd ever kissed, before tonight. She'd been gone for nearly five years, and a knot settled in the pit of his stomach as he realized that, despite reliving her death in his dreams every night, he couldn't remember what she looked like anymore. He'd thought he was ready for this, but he totally wasn't; being this close to Von had unlocked a Pandora's box of emotions that he had been disastrously unprepared for. And, suddenly, he couldn't breathe.

_Goddamnit._

In that instant, it felt as though the entire room had been sucked dry of air, and what little he had left rattled around in his chest like a skeleton in the closet that desperately wanted out. Of course, the change caught Von's attention and she immediately broke the kiss as concern and confusion painted themselves onto her face.

"You okay?"

"Fine," he replied, hoping that his voice sounded steady enough to convince her of it. "I just... I think I need some air."

In response, Von nodded, though she still looked confused as she followed him to the door. "Very well," she said finally, though her tone didn't match her words. "I'll admit, with the amount I see you smoke, I'm surprised you can breathe at all. Want us to wait for you?"

"That's okay, Boss. I've already had too much to drink as it is, so probably gonna have one more smoke and go to bed. Tell Nick he can have my turn, all right?"

She nodded, and they parted ways. But, as he headed out into the cold pre-dawn light, he heard her call his name. 

"MacCready?"

"Yeah, Boss?"

Von shifted awkwardly in place, then stared at her feet for a moment before shifting her gaze upward. "For what it's worth," she admitted, running a hand through her curtain of dark, silky hair. "Deacon was right. You're pretty good."

Mac managed a nod, sucking in a sharp drag of his cigarette as he met her eyes. "Better than him, Danse, and Cait?"

"Uh, sure," she agreed. "What about you? If you had to pick one of us to kiss again, who would it be- Piper, Deacon, or me?"

"You. D'uh."

"Finally," she said, a nervous laugh slipping from behind her lips- the same ones he was already dying to kiss again. "Something we can both agree on. Now, go get some rest, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure thing. G'night, Boss."

A smile flitted across Von's lips, there one minute and gone the next. She was so beautiful, even more so when she smiled, but it was such a rare sight that he'd have an easier time finding clean water in the Capital Wasteland than getting her to repeat it. But damn, what he wouldn't have given to feel that smile imprinted on his mouth forever.

"Goodnight, MacCready. Sleep well."

She left to rejoin the party, and Mac watched her go, wishing that he had the courage to follow her, because all he could think about was the strange, beautiful weight of her lips on his. But he'd fucked up bad tonight; there was no going back now, and so he wished instead that he could simply erase her touch from his memory.


End file.
